Dom-Inated… Phils Drop Second Straight in Milwaukee

Domonic Brown failed to make the Phillies out of spring training, mainly because the front office wanted him to shore up his defense, which at times has been severely lacking.

Perhaps you already had heard about that somewhere. Good then, we’re all caught up!

Since joining the Phils, Brown’s defense has been pretty good, and while his ability to slug the ball at the plate still hasn’t come around, he is doing a good job working the count.

Unfortunately, those positive developments turned sour during last night’s 6-2 loss to the hapless Brewers, thanks to a ball off the bat of Nyjer Morgan misplayed by Brown that led to a four-run inning. While not scored an error, the ball deflected off Brown’s glove with two outs, giving Tony Plush a generous two-run triple.

Was it a tough play? Yes it was. Brown had to make a long run to get to the ball with the outfield wall closing in on him.

Still, Brown acknowledged that it’s a catch that must be hauled in at the big-league level.

“That’s a play I have to make,” Brown said after the game. “I want to come up big for my teammate there. It just didn’t happen. I got back there good. I just dropped it.”

From there, starter Vance Worley unraveled, allowing two more runs in the inning before striking out Ryan Braun with the bases loaded. Still, being down 4-1 to Milwaukee ace Yovanni Gallardo is about the same as being down 20-1. The Phils folded up the tents and called it a night after Brown’s gaffe, allowing many in the Philadelphia area to get started on a good night’s sleep early.

When It All Went Wrong

Uh, were you not paying attention? Brown’s muff of a fair catch in the fourth inning led to the Phils’ demise, although, Worley didn’t exactly shut the door after Brown’s miscue either. The goggled one allowed two more runs to score and looked as if someone was throwing heated thumbtacks at him for the rest of the inning. It’s important to note, however, that Worley and Brown are close friends, so they likely shared a Smores and played a quick game of backgammon after the game to help them forget all about it.

Most Attractive Play

Jimmy Rollins showing that, for all his lack of hustle and .300 on base percentage, the guy still has a cannon at shortstop. Hey Jimmy! You see how fast you ran to get that ball in the hole! That’s hustle! Nice job, bud!

Hero

Ryan Braun, who hit yet another homer last night, giving the Brewers their last two runs of the game. The shot came via the arm of Phils’ reliever B.J. Rosenberg. And of course, if the pitch is coming from B.J. Rosenberg, it probably only counts for, like, half a home run or something. Braun’s numbers against the Phils this year are ridiculous (10-19, 5 HRs, 8 RBIs). If Cole Hamels doesn’t do his “fake tough” routine tonight and drill Braun in the back with a fastball, there’s something wrong with America.

Villain

Tony Plush, a.k.a., Nyjer Morgan. Why? Because he’s a punk. Although, he did try to channel his inner Dom Brown and give the Phillies a gift run when he misplayed Ryan Howard’s double in the top of the fourth. Sadly, that 1-0 lead would not hold up. Shocker, huh?